6 tips for recruiting and onboarding care staff remotely

Unless it is essential to go into your place of work, remote working should be adopted as best practice to promote social distancing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote working is an unfamiliar practice for many organisations and you may find that your traditional recruitment and on boarding processes have gone out the window.

We’ve heard that many home care agencies are in dire need of recruiting new staff to cover staff shortages, sickness and self-isolation. Recruitment and on boarding staff for home care providers is busier than ever and doing this remotely can feel uneasy for some. Below we discuss some handy tips to recruit and on board staff remotely.

1)Video interviewing:

You may be used to interviewing candidates face to face however video technology now makes remote interviews an easy alternative. Video conferencing applications such as zoom, google hangout or Microsoft teams allow you to schedule a video interview with the candidate and interview panel members. Hiring managers should prepare for the interview and liaise with the panel members ahead of the interview to ensure there is structure and logical sequence to the session. A minimum of three interview panel members is recommended to ensure balanced feedback is gained. It is also worth organising a follow up remote debrief with your colleagues on the panel to discuss the candidate and come to a final decision about hiring.

2) Check DBS documents via video link:

If you are carrying a fast-track DBS for a new recruit then you can now observe and check proof of identifications via video link. A scan of the documents will still be required as usual. For full guidance on fast track DBS applications please visit the gov.uk website here.

3) Remote staff on-boarding:

Office staff and care workers will have some element of mandatory training when they start a new role. Delivering this training face to face may not be possible so finding alternative solutions may necessary. If training can be completed online and independently then we suggest setting this up for the employee online to complete in their own time, preferably within the first week of their employment. If you need to deliver more interactive training set up a remote session via video.

4) Introduce your new recruits to the wider team:

It is important that your new recruit feels absorbed and part of the company culture. As part of on boarding, set up some remote meetings with key people in the company so that they become familiar with wider members of the team. Perhaps linking them in with an allocated buddy, an established member of the team, who they can approach for support and a chat if needed. ‍

5) Introduce new hires to each other:

You will likely have a lot of new starters joining throughout this period. Linking this group of staff together will allow them to support one another throughout the on boarding period and beyond.

6) Make yourself accessible:

As a care manager or hiring manager make yourself accessible to your new staff if you are working remotely. Provide a direct contact number and advise them of how to get support when they need it.